Has your family chosen where you want to go on your summer vacation? You are not alone, most families have not yet decided where they want to go. It can be a very time consuming activity to discover that perfect vacation escape, so explore the options for your Maine tourism. You will find lots of options and it may not be an easy decision!

However, if you are thoughtful and appreciate the commitment to do some planning, it should make your summer vacation easy and one of those “family events” that you will treasure forever. The most simple mistake people make is first choosing a “destination.” The best vacations occur when you first select “what you want to do”! Do you want to go camping, surfing on a beach, playing and relaxing at a park, or touring cultural or historical attractions? By choosing “what you want to do” to start with, you are off to the best start of choosing that perfect family vacation destination!

Once you know “what you want to do” – you can sort through the various tourism destination areas and discover those exciting attractions that you hope to go see or do. By taking a little time planning, you can also discover those destinations that have a variety of attractions that are of interest to both you and your entire family. Online travel guides are invaluable that can help you choose comprehensive information about activities that are more comprehensive than a vauge attraction name and address. Since you know “what” you want to do and “where” you want to go, a legitimate high quality online free state travel guides will provide you a substantial article describing each attraction to help you make an informed decision about what you want to do and where you want to go.

Here are three Maine vacation alternatives that you might want to consider:

Idea #1: Experience the Thrill of Professional Racing at Maine Indoor Karting. Maine Indoor Karting just off Route 1 in Scarborough is the perfect place to experience the thrill of professional kart racing. This indoor kart racing facility has been specially designed to provide adult drivers with an authentic racing experience. Whether you’re a kart racing fanatic or a first-time kart driver, all the excitement of high-speed kart racing can be yours at Maine Indoor Karting.

Idea #2: Step Back in Time with a Maine Windjammer Association Cruise. Are you itching to get away for a vacation? Would you love to take a cruise but just don’t think you would enjoy three weeks on a ship? There’s a better alternative when it comes to cruises, and it’s one that you may not expect.

Idea #3: Explore New England History at the Ogunquit Heritage Museum in Maine. The Ogunquit Heritage Museum is an excellent place to explore the history, culture and early architecture of Ogunquit, Maine and its surrounding areas. The Museum opened in 2001 following the donation of the 1780 Captain James Winn House. The Ogunquit Heritage Museum at the Captain Winn House is located at 86 Obeds Lane in the Dorothea Jacobs Grant Common, Ogunquit, Maine.

As you can see, you have a significant variety of alternatives available to you when it is time to select that ideal family vacation getaway. Enjoy your chance to plan carefully what you want to do and where you want to go. Select a quality travel guide to help you discover those perfect free travel guides videos. And you will know that you will experience a wonderful vacation with a lifetime of stories.

Baby cars seats are designed to protect your child from injury should you be involved in an accident. To further protect your child, the law states that all children under the age of twelve must ride in the back seat. From the day you leave the hospital with your new baby, he or she must be placed in a car safety seat. Infants must ride in a rear-facing seat until they weigh at least twenty pounds or reach the age of one.
The most common way to select a Chicago car service is by utilizing online services. This has become more popular because it is fast, convenient and reliable. The problem is, there are scam artists online just as there are in real life. These are the sites you want to stay away from. Some things you must pay attention to on the site is the information they provide, a phone number and whether or not you can find their information online. In other words, you need to make sure they are a reputable company. If their site looks unprofessional and suspicious, they are probably not a good company to deal with.
All kids are different but in general don’t drive as far as the adults can go in one day, try to keep car travel to a 6 to 8 hour range of time. Don’t fill the inside of the car to the brim causing less space for the kids, instead consider a car topper for safe keeping of your belongings.
Never leave your animal alone in a parked vehicle. On a hot day, even with the windows open, a parked automobile can become a furnace in no time, and heatstroke can develop. In cold weather, a car can act as a refrigerator, holding in the cold and causing the animal to freeze to death.
Before you hit the road, be honest with yourself about what you and your children can handle in the way of a road trip. While older children might be capable of dealing with 10+ hours in the family van, chances are your 4-year-old isn’t. Generally speaking, young children should not be subjected to confinement in a car for more than six hours a day. This is just as much for your sanity as it is for theirs.
Stuff to amuse even the fussiest traveler – no matter what age – and what to put in that bottomless bag of tricks to keep the little ones occupied.
Choosing the right car seat can be an overwhelming task. It’s best to begin researching them when you first find out you are expecting. You should, however, wait until about a month before your baby is due to actually purchase your car seat. From the time they are manufactured, car seats start to lose their life and the longer they sit unused, the shorter their lifespan.
Any time that your baby is awake and behaving nicely (quiet, jabbering, looking around, etc.), make sure that you interact with your baby. In this way, your baby will learn to enjoy automobile travel because you are fun to ride with. You can try singing or humming songs, talking about what you are doing or where you are going. If your baby has a favorite blanket, place it next to or in the safety seat within his reach.

As a child, I used to holiday in self catering accommodation with my parents. We’d hire a caravan for a week on one of those holiday parks. Check out http://www.travelglobal.co.uk/Self-Catering-Articles.php

I used to enjoy the environment as there was a pool and slot machines nearby, not to mention the beach and a small harbour where I went fishing.  They used to be fantastic holidays!

One of the things I remember is my parents cooking dinner. It was like home from home and I enjoyed it. I don’t think any child really enjoys eating out in restaurants like an adult does and anyway, the facilities you find these days for children, didn’t really exist in those days. I always deem myself lucky for those happy days. I would certainly recommend self catering for families.

We used to have a large breakfast in our self catering accommodation, then at lunch time, we would have something very light. For dinner, we would either eat out or have dinner where we were staying. As an adult now, I have done the same, and it works out quite a money saver. Of course, I didn’t have a large breakfast if I was going swimming in the morning!

To save money when I’m on holiday now, I usually eat in pubs as they tend to offer the best value for food. Without a shadow of doubt, eating out is the bulk of your spending on holidays, and this can be controlled quite easily without affecting your enjoyment.

For more reading on travel tips goto http://www.travelglobal.co.uk

If you have friends and family members you are fortunate. You can multiply little joys   by sharing and celebrating good moments of your life with them and divide your sorrows by crying over their shoulders.

What if you are a single? If you don’t have someone to take with you on a solo vacation, you may just find that someone instead, on an adult singles holidays.

Singles Holidays Operators today are realizing that there is a huge market of singles that would like to get to know others in a friendly fun atmosphere, and so they are arranging for all kinds of solo holidays that cater to singles.

Solo Holiday operator often tries to theme the cruise as much as possible to help singles meet others like minded people.

Singles travel alone to feel the adrenaline rush that comes to you when you feel like a bird with no chains, no bounding! There are two different types of traveller looking for such holiday. Among them, some are individual who are there to meet people like themselves. The other section of travellers is those who are looking towards a real holiday filled with adventure and happenings. Holidays for single are best suited for those travellers who are willing to take the travel with their own self for companion.
Solo/Singles Holidays have different offerings available for singles, and that is why it is good to check with each line to see what they offer that could appeal to you.

While on the singles holidays there are often special activities and programs to help singles be able to meet others including singles cocktail parties, group shore excursions, wine tasting and much more. This allows singles the opportunity to meet and greet others and get to know them on a social basis while the trip is taking place.
Of course, some singles don’t really want to meet someone else special while cruising and that’s alright too. There is plenty on board to keep a single person busy and involved without having to mingle socially including the beautiful swimming pools, spas, jacuzzis, elegant dining and more.
So if you always thought that you couldn’t go on a vacation because you were single that is just not true anymore. There is plenty that modern singles holidays have to offer both singles who want to meet other singles, and those who are just want to stay single but still have a great time.

The plans have been made. Snacks and meals have been packed. Everything that needs to be done to help you save on your vacation has been done. Only now the kids want to eat out. Instead of fighting the tide, look around for one of the many deals that are offered for families during the week.

1. Applebee’s – this family chain has a lot of variety to meet all the tastes your group might have. Even better, on Tuesdays and Thursdays in most locations they offer Kids Meals (off the kid menu) for only $.99.

2. Captain D’s – It’s a great little seafood place and an even better way to save a little cash while you are on vacation. Call the local restaurant and see if they offer the “kids eat free” deal at that location. On Thursdays you can get to free kid’s meals for every adult meal purchased, but it is DINE IN only.

3. IHOP – There are so much more than pancakes available here – although pancakes are a specialty. The great thing is that on Fridays (from 3 pm – 9 pm) the kids eat free with the purchase of an adult meal.

4. Chik-fil-A – The cows are thrilled when you chose to eat here. And to encourage you even further, your kids can eat free on Tuesdays.

5. O’Charleys – This is another great variety restaurant and kids can eat free here every day (from the children’s menu). Keep in mind that drinks come separate and will run around $2.

6. McDonalds – under the golden arches you can find kids meals for under $1 on Tuesdays.

7. Ruby Tuesdays – You can find a wide variety of entr?e’s and some great prices as well. To make it even more budget friendly, you can get a free kid’s meal (with adult purchase) on Wednesday nights.

Eating out doesn’t have to cost a fortune. You can cut corners by cutting coupons or you can visit your local restaurants on nights when the kids can eat free. There are some things you should always keep in mind:

• Not all restaurants in the chain will participate in the programs, so call your nearest location before you go.

• Kids Eat Free deals are not usually advertised very aggressively and are more likely to be found through word of mouth. Do some research on line AND be sure to ask friends and family about any deals they have heard of.

• Local or regional restaurants often run weekly specials. Call around to see what you can find to fit your family’s budget.

Not many tourist spots across the world are better than Gold Coast. A small city in the state of Queensland, Gold Coast is definitely a place to be. It is a place which is dwelled with the facilities that make your holidays just about perfect.  There is something for everyone. Therefore, more than 10 million tourists across the globe choose Gold Coast as their holiday destination over other places. Most of them agree to the fact that Gold Coast definitely has more in store for the tourist than they think. The city has so many things to explore that any time seems on your hand will seem to be short. All you need is just grab a car hire gold coast and make the most of your holidays.

The prime spot of Gold Coast is its beaches. More than 20 beaches constitute what is a 57 km coastline. Surfers Paradise is the most popular amongst all of them. The beach has many facilities for tourists. Not only can one relax under the sun but can also enjoy numerous sports that are played here. Bungee jumping, jet skiing, parasailing, paragliding and beach volleyball are some of them. Surfers paradise is also known for its fabulous shopping options and bustling night life. These places are easily accessible through rental cars gold coast airport.

Apart from the Surfers paradise and other beaches in Gold Coast, you will find many other attractions as well. There are various theme parks which are a perfect place to spend quality time with your family. You will find hundreds of rides that are meant for kids as well as adults. Not too far from these theme parks is the wild life sanctuary which is the home of thousands of species. You can easily visit the theme parks as well as sanctuary by car rentals gold coast airport.

Once done with the visit to all these places, you can take a car hire gold coast and can drive down to center of the city where you will find city art gallery. The gallery plays the host of various art exhibitions in which local as well as international artists participate and portray their master pieces.

All in all, Gold Coast is a holiday destination which suits tourists of all nationalities, age, sex, and interests. You just need rental cars gold coast airport and the city is yours to explore.

Wish you happy holidaying!

More than half (51%) of us are planning a vacation this summer. Even more if we’re among the affluent and young professionals. According to the latest American Express Spending & Saving Tracker,  we plan to spend an average of $1,000 per person on summer travel.

Parents, are planning  to arrange summer activities for their children and plan to spend an average of $600 per child. This month’s American Express Spending & Saving Tracker  sample of 2,000 adults included the general U.S. population, and two subgroups — the affluent and young professionals.

“The summer vacation, and particularly, the family vacation is alive and well this year,” said Audrey Hendley, vice president of American Express Travel.

Vacations with Family and Friends

Family trips will be most popular (52%), a variety of other vacation types are being planned, including:

Couples trips (26%)

Trips with friends such as “girlfriend getaways” and “mancations” (10%)

A “staycation”–intending to enjoy time off and attractions near home (11%)

Experiential or adventure vacations such as a culinary retreat or hiking trip (7%)

Educational vacations (4%)

Of those taking a summer vacation, most  will stay within the U.S., with destinations in the South (31%) and Northeast (29%) being the most popular vacation destinations. A smaller percentage of consumers (16%) plan to travel outside of the U.S., primarily to the Caribbean (6%), Canada (5%), and Europe (4%). Affluents (19%) are more likely to venture outside of the U.S. and young professionals (29%) are twice as likely as the general population to do so.

People without summer vacation plans this year cited several factors. Among those people:

44 percent said they had not saved for a vacation

23 percent reported they plan to spend the money on something else like home improvements or local activities. Included in these,

18 percent plan to spend on family necessities.

8 percent said they don’t have the time to either plan or take a vacation this year

Read More >>>;

Image via Wikipedia

This summer, you can cool off at Disney Worlds Typhoon Lagoon. This water park which first opened in 1989 is still attracting a lot of visitors with its centerpiece, the 100 foot Mount Mayday where the parks 2 speed slides, 4 twisting body slides and three tube slides are all located.

You won’t have a hard time finding it because you will notice Ms. Tilly, a shrimp boat situated on top of the mountain.

Beneath the 100 foot man made mountain, the theme park spreads out to a 2 + acre lagoon that is surrounded by white beaches. If the weather gets to you, there is plenty of shade around thanks to the lush vegetation.

Aurora Lillo Editor of the “Best Hotel Deals” website — http://www.BestHotelDeals.biz — pointed out;

“…Some of the other attractions at the theme park are Ketchakiddie Creek, Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool, Castaway Creek, Humunga Kowabunga, Storm Slides, Gang Plank Falls, Mayday Falls, Keelhaul Falls and Shark Reef…”

In case you need anything, you can head down to Singapore Sal’s Beachwear, Gifts & Sundries. If you have to store some stuff, you can rent a locker for $5 or $7 for a larger one. There is a refundable fee of $2 when you turn in the key.

Guests can borrow towels for $1 each. For those that need a life vest, you can get these for free since you are not allowed to bring other floatation devices into the park.

When you feel hungry, you can get some snacks at Leaning Palms, Typhoon Tilly’s, Lowtide Lou’s Snacks and Lets Go Slurpin.

If you need some medical attention, you can go to the First Aid Station that is located near the Leaning Palms Snack Bar.

There are certain regulations that should be follow when inside the park.

1. Swimwear that has exposed metal is not allowed to be worn inside the park.

2. Children under the age of 10 should always be accompanied by an adult.

3. Although the park is open from 10am to 5pm, this may change depending on the weather conditions.

4. If you have made reservations beforehand and the park is suddenly closed, you will not be given a refund.

5. Even if you buy a ticket to enter this water park, you cannot use this to enter any of Disney’s other water parks.

“…The park is closed for one month every year for repairs and maintenance. Adults pay $35 plus tax while children the age of 10 to 4 will pay $29 plus tax. Anyone under three is free…” added A. Lillo.

Further information about the cheapest rates on hotels all around the world by visiting; http://www.BestHotelRates.me

Most people with young children know that eating out with kids can be stressful at times. A little pre-planning can make all the difference:
* Always bring your own crayons/markers and coloring books or scrap paper.

* Keep interesting children’s books in the car. An adult can easily dash to the car for back-up materials.

* For kids who are too old to color, try games like Tic-Tac-Toe , Hangman, or 20 Questions. Adults at the table should be included. It’s more fun for the kids and will help keep them happy until the food comes.

* Choose a restaurant that seats and serves quickly. A long wait, coupled with hungry kids, can be a recipe for disaster.

*Dine early! Most kids go downhill as the evening progresses. Try to keep to your child’s schedule or you will pay.

*For safety’s sake, don’t let your children run around the restaurant. A waiter carrying a hot tray could easily trip over a small child.

*If your child begins to scream and can’t be consoled, take her outside until she is calm again. You’ll appreciate the same courtesy when your children are grown.
Cape Cod Overview
The Mid Cape, from Hyannis to the Harwich & Brewster lines retains a rural, historic flavor on its northern coast, while the southern coast is more developed, for those who love shopping & more hustle-bustle, on the go vacation. The Mid-Cape includes the town of Barnstable, with its many villages (Hyannis being the largest) as well as the towns of Yarmouth and Dennis.
The Lower Cape is the travel destination of those looking for a quieter vacation. It is less populated than the mid-Cape and has retained the charm of the Cape Cod of yesteryear. It consists of the towns (east to west and moving northward) Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Chatham, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown. Its north-south forearm, includes the National Seashore.

There is something about caves and caverns that can grab a child’s imagination and never let go.  Once a child has seen his or her first cave, the mind is suddenly full of aspirations to be a spelunker or an explorer.  The mystery behind a deep, dark hole in the ground is apparently just too much.  At Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the staff has been in exactly that same position before, so they are ready to present programs and tours that are designed specifically for the little caver.
No matter where you are in the caverns, any child under twelve years of age should be accompanied by an adult.  There are plenty of caverns that offer safe and exciting exploration for the younger children, such as the Kings Palace.  Children must be at least four years old to join the tours of the Kings Palace, because there are a few dangerous places along the one-mile tour.  You and your children will see some amazing cave formations, such as helictites, draperies, soda straws, and columns.  At some point in the tour, the staff will turn out all of the lights, which leaves the whole crowd in the blackest darkness you will ever experience!
Younger children are also welcome to join the lantern-lit tour of the Left Hand Tunnel.  This cavern tour is chock full of history, as the guides will point out Permian-age fossils and tells stories about the formations of the cavern.  Even though the caves are considered safe enough for children, it is important that you remember to keep a close eye on them.  You should also watch your own footing, as well, because there can be some slippery spots, and you don’t want to fall into a cavern pool or break any of the fragile formations.  
There are a few self-guided tours that you can do at Carlsbad Caverns, but the ones mentioned here are Ranger-guided tours.  You should check the schedule for each tour so that you can plan your day around the tour times.  It is very important that you pay strict attention to your Ranger guides.  There is a good reason that the tours are guided, because the caves can be dark, dangerous, and unpredictable.  Respect all of the rules of the tour, as well as the people that are on the tour with you, and everyone will enjoy a safe and happy day at Carlsbad Caverns.